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Pruning and trimming trees around your home play a crucial role in maintaining the overall health of the plants. Pruning entails removing unnecessary branches while trimming generally aims at promoting healthy growth.
After you plant your tree, you will have to begin properly trimming and pruning it. While pruning may involve the removal of a few unwanted parts, trimming involves the removal of entire branches which sometimes leaves a tree looking bare.
Before you decide to hire a tree service, there are several factors you need to put into consideration. Below we explore the four key benefits of pruning and trimming. You can click to read more.
Pruning Reduces the Danger Posed by Hanging Branches
Tree pruning has various benefits. First, it helps reduce the danger posed by the branches. This entails removing sections that may have outgrown the main tree and now pose a hazard to both people and property.
This is recommended for trees that have branches whose diameter is two inches or more. Hanging branches pose danger to both property and humans. If the branches hang over your house, storms can cause them to snap and fall on your roof.
The same happens to branches that have grown towards power lines. Branches that touch power lines are extremely dangerous when it rains as they can cause electrocution to passersby. Pruning is also important in case the branches grow in the wrong direction.
This could be towards a busy road or parking lot. Pruning such branches reduces the danger posed.
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Pruning Helps Reduce Insect Infestation and Also Improves Fruit Production
When you prune infected branches, it helps avoid the spread of the infestation to other branches. It gets better if the cut branches are set on fire as this destroys the insects and other organisms that had invaded the tree.
Most of these insects and other disease-causing pathogens are dormant during winter. This means they are fewer in number and not as active to cause much damage compared to summer when they thrive. This makes winter the perfect time to prune your trees.
Always ensure you destroy the pathogens and insects after pruning as leaving them on the ground leads to more damage. Some of the insects lay eggs and hibernate, then come back in large numbers when the weather conditions are conducive.
Besides using fire, you may also use powerful insecticides that destroy the laid eggs. If you have fruit trees, pruning improves both the quantity and size of the fruits.
Always ensure pruning is done during late winter as this helps expose the entire tree to sunlight.
Trimming Helps Trees Grow in a Healthy Manner After Damage
This entails the removal of major branches. It is usually carried out during major storm damage. It’s also important where tree branches interfere with power lines or when there are significant diebacks.
This improves the general health since the damaged, dying and dead branches are removed creating a chance for new growth. Removing such branches also prevents further decay especially if it is a result of a disease.
Pruning improves air circulation and also increases sun exposure since the branches do not compete with each other. When you do not trim your trees, they become overcrowded, competing for the available nutrients and sunlight.
This produces weak trees that are unhealthy. Trimming means retaining only the healthy parts of a tree and this improves the tree’s overall health.
Aesthetic Value and Sun Exposure
Trimming is key to the overall appearance of your trees. It enhances the aesthetic value since you can shape your trees whichever way you want.
It also improves the overall structure since the process eliminates weak branches and also reduces the broad ones which make the trees look overcrowded.
Trimming also ensures the branches do not compete for space on the crown which is common where trees are left to grow wildly and each branch competes for the sunshine.
It also helps branches to grow straight without crossing each other since only strong branches are allowed to thrive.
Both trimming and pruning help improve the tree’s general health and also help reduce the health hazard posed by enlarged branches. Trimming also helps keep unwanted pathogens and other insects off your vicinity.
Whichever method you opt for, the benefits outweigh having an overgrown tree that’s unappealing to the eye.
